Pyramidal yield criteria for epoxides

The tensile, compressive and shear yield strengths of two epoxides were measured under superposed hydrostatic pressure extending to 300 MN m^–2. For both materials, the ratio of the moduli of the tensile, _T, to compressive, _C, yield stress at atmospheric pressure was approximately 34, as has been reported previously for a number of thermoplastics. The ₂= ₃ envelope in stress space was plotted according to these two-parameter ( _C and _T) yield criteria: conical, paraboloidal and pyramidal; the best correlation was with the last. The experimental tensile and compressive data for tests under pressure, however, fit slightly better two straight lines which are consistent with a three-parameter single hexagonal pyramidal yield surface. For plane stress and shear under pressure yield envelopes of these surfaces, the correlation with experimental data is again best for the pyramidal criteria, except for biaxial or triaxial tension when these resins are brittle. The third independent parameter employed in the pyramidal criterion was the equi-biaxial compressive yield stress, determined by tensile experiments under appropriate superposed hydrostatic pressure; alternatively plane strain compressive yield stress, _PC, may be used.